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Title: H.G. Wells - Things to Come (2001)
Format: DVD
Score:
Starring: Raymond Massey, Edward Chapman, Ralph Richardson, Margaretta Scott, and Cedric Hardwicke
Director: William Cameron Menzies
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Runtime: 97 minutes
Hits: 130
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Review of H.G. Wells - Things to Come

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Comments for H.G. Wells - Things to Come

• Posted on 2009-08-20
  Things to Come
  
  One of the first three movies shown on broadcast TV in New York in 1947.
  Hollywood was afraid of the new medium and would not allow any domestic films to be aired.
  The British Alexander Korda productions "Thief of Bhagdad", "The Man Who Could Work Miracles", and "Things to Come" became our favorite treasures for years.
  
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• Posted on 2009-06-13
  More interesting than entertaining
  
  Calling the acting stiff would be an understatement, and no one in the movie ever says anything - everyone declaims, and in bold, often stentorian tones. Every point made in the movie is made with the subtlety of a jackhammer. To modern ears the result is vaguely ridiculous, and sometimes irritating.
  
  Like everyone else in his era, Wells was a great deal too optimistic about the Wonders of Science (the capitals are essential). But the movie made a lot of good points and Wells clearly made a handful of good guesses. He foresaw European war (even if he clearly had no idea what the battle lines would be drawn over), and anticipated germ warfare, non-lethal crowd control, and the general "scaling up" of science. Even where he was wrong (his ideas on spaceflight were unworkable, his apparently fond hopes for an uprising of scientists and engineers unlikely) the guesses were interesting. (Whoever it was that dreamed up the movie's clothing fashions for the far future era, though, was out to lunch.)
  
  I can't imagine the impact that would have had on a 30's audience. It was probably little short of mind blowing. Watching it with that in mind makes it worthwhile. And some of the sets were fascinating, providing eye candy for when when the actors aren't quite holding up their end. If you like sci-fi at all, worth a rental.
  
  
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• Posted on 2009-04-16
  History Repeating Itself
  
  Great story from the past that looks strangely familiar.
  
  This movie is a reminder of the proverb, "There is nothing new under the sun"... "All that is has already been done".
  
  Of course another view of this is that everything they are doing to us they have done before, and have refined the same techniques through careful deliberation and much practice. It is clear that the present new world order scheme is an old world ambition for world domination and total population control. There is a "thread" that runs throughout history, and is revealed in the study of Ponerology.
  
  
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• Posted on 2009-03-27
  a caucasian future
  
  I just saw this film on TCM. For a film made in 1936--considering what happened later--it was eerily on target on some things. The dialogue was somewhat stiff and unrealistic and did anyone notice that only caucasians seemed to have survived into the future? What happened to all the Asians, Africans, and Hispanics/Latinos?
  
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• Posted on 2009-02-18
  Good Movie -- Good Restoration...
  
  I first saw H.G. Wells "Things To Come" when I was about 12 and even then it made an indelible impression on me. The last time I saw it was in college (too many years ago to mention) for a film history class and it held up well. So this restored DVD version is only my third viewing of this flick.
  
  But the film itself still holds up, addressing many social, political and scientific implications of a progressing society that many of us would do well to heed today. For purposes of complete disclosure I must admit up front that I am a serious technocrat and believe that our intelligent ability to use science and technology to uncover the secrets of nature is the main thing that will carry us through our current difficulties and out into the future. And is apparent that H.G. wells thought much the same. (After you see this movie you will understand that, if I had the option, I would join "Wings Over The World" instantly...).
  
  No doubt that this movie is a bit dated -- cinematic sensibilities have changed a lot since the production of this film. Yet, there are many stylistic choices in the areas of lighting and photography that lift it out of the ordinary. And given the technical limitations of its day, the special effects in "Things To Come" (especially the scale model work) is extremely creative and inspiring.
  
  The restoration of this classic is very well done, and probably the best that can be achieved, given the age of the materials thay probably had to work with. Though I prefer watching the original black and white, the colorized version on this disc is not too bad -- it affects an impressionistic quality, using color in a pastel fashion to overlay rather than replace information. It reminds one of the hand-tinted color photographs from gread-grandpa's day -- quaint and charming if not dynamic.
  
  Alltogether, I would recommend this DVD to anyone who has an interest in the history of cinema, the history of science fiction films or the history of social evolution. The ending scene where Raymond Massey's character spells out why Man has to explore the Universe (taken right from Well's original text) still sends chills up my spine and stokes the fires of inspiration and imagination. Check it out -- I don't think you'll be disappointed.
  
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